Robin Williams, M.D., has been named president of the Nashville Academy of Medicine for 2020. She is the first African American to be elected president of the organization, the oldest medical society in Tennessee, founded in 1821.

Williams specializes in surgery of the breast with Saint Thomas Medical Partners and is a former president of Tennessee Women in Medicine.

Her election follows a two-year term as the board chair for the Medical Foundation of Nashville, the philanthropic arm of the Nashville Academy, which has provided nearly $44 million in donated medical charity care through Project Access Nashville Specialty Care.

V. Seenu Reddy, M.D., MBA, FACS, with TriStar Medical Group Cardiovascular Surgery, is immediate past-president of the Academy and has been named chair of the board of directors for 2020.

Joining. Williams and Reddy on the Nashville Academy of Medicine’s 2020 board of directors are:

• Nicole Schlechter, M.D., 2021 president-elect, Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital

• James Powers, M.D., secretary/treasurer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• Michael Beckham, M.D., Beckham Internal Medicine

• David Duong, M.D., Urology Associates

• Cindy Le, M.D., Anesthesia Medical Group

• George “Trey” Lee, M.D., Real Time Neuromonitoring Associates

• Rodney Lewis, M.D., Heritage Medical Associates

• Lael Luedtke, M.D., Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance

• Adrian Rodriguez, M.D., Nashville Skin

• Gregg Shepard, M.D., Tennessee Oncology

• M. Kevin Smith, M.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• Richard Soper, M.D., Center for Behavioral Wellness

The Medical Foundation of Nashville also named its 2020 officers:

• Ralph Atkinson, III, M.D., board chair, Nephrology Associates

• Christopher Ott, M.D., vice chair, HCA Physician Services

• Michel McDonald, M.D., secretary/treasurer, Vanderbilt Dermatology

The Academy will celebrate its Bicentennial Gala on Oct. 2, 2021, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, benefiting the Medical Foundation of Nashville.

Dickinson Wright adds construction specialist

Ryan A. Lee has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Nashville office.

Lee advises owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals and suppliers in various construction-related litigation matters including disputes related to design and construction defects, mechanics’ and materialmen’s liens, contractor licensing, and Prompt Pay act and other payment issues.

In addition to his construction practice, Lee has significant commercial litigation and government regulatory experience based on his time in private practice in Chicago and as an assistant attorney general in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.

Lee is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association-Construction Section, the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel (TACC), and the ABA Construction Forum. He earned his B.S.E. from Princeton University and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

FirstBank mortgage names FirstBank Forward director

Jeremy Davis has joined FirstBank as director of FirstBank Forward, an initiative to foster affordable housing, drive economic development and promote financial literacy.

Davis will be responsible for promoting internal and external awareness and accountability of the FirstBank Forward mission and driving fair lending and affordable housing initiatives.

Davis began his mortgage career more than 20 years ago, serving in numerous leadership roles throughout the Southeast within the sales and operations areas of mortgage lending.

Davis serves as a co-chair of the Nashville Human Relations Commission, where he continues his more than two decades of advocacy for community development, equality and fair housing.

Diversified Trust promotes 3 senior team members

Diversified Trust, an independent wealth management firm with offices throughout the Southeast, has announce three promotions in the Nashville office:

• Hale Kelleher has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president. She primarily focuses on the coordination of account management functions for Diversified Trust and oversees all processes and procedures. She previously served as a vice president and complex operations manager at Wells Fargo. She is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South with a degree in economics.

• Tammy Underwood also was promoted from vice president to senior vice president. Her primary responsibilities include office management, human resources and maintaining support for Diversified Trust’s technology and marketing areas. Before joining the firm, Underwood worked at Manheim, Inc. for 17 years, serving as a paralegal, procurement manager and technology help desk manager. She attended the Southeastern Paralegal Institute in Nashville.

• Brittany Wyrick has been promoted from senior associate to vice president. She will continue to be a member of Diversified Trust’s operations team and support the corporate operations group. In addition, she is responsible for providing broad administrative and operational support for the firm’s four offices. Previously, she served as an operations specialist at Hays Advisory. Wyrick is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.

Turner announces promotions, changes

Four executives with Turner Construction Company’s Nashville office have either been promoted or taken on new responsibilities as part of an enhancement of the regional business unit.

• John Gromos, vice president and general manager, will retain his title and take on a more regional focus as he continues to lead Turner’s Nashville, Memphis and Huntsville offices. Gromos has been with Turner since 2004.

• Kevin Williams has been promoted to business manager from special projects division manager. He’ll be in charge of the Nashville office, taking responsibility for its short- and long-range goals and coordinating them with those of the overall business unit. Williams joined Turner as project manager in 2004 and was promoted to senior project manager in 2012 before being named special projects division manager in 2015.

• Matt Nicholson has been promoted to special projects division manager from business development manager. The division oversees specialized interior construction projects up to $20 million, many with uniquely complicated logistics challenges. He’ll be providing overall leadership and management for all special projects division activities, including driving the business strategy, developing and elevating staff and implementing the company’s standards of business conduct. Nicholson joined Turner as mechanical preconstruction and logistics manager in 2011 and was promoted to manager of business development in 2014.

• Suzannah Gills has been promoted to business development manager from senior project manager. She’ll be working with leadership to establish a strategic business plan and will be responsible for executing all sales activities, negotiating contracts, and cultivating new and existing relationships. Gills joined Turner in 2012 as a project engineer. She was promoted to business development engineer in 2015, project manager in 2017 and senior project manager in 2019.

Register of Deeds names Brown chief deputy

Davidson County Register of Deeds Karen Johnson has appointed Nashville attorney John P. (Jack) Brown as chief deputy.

Brown, who grew up in Green Hills and earned his law degree from Memphis State University Law School, where he was a member of the Memphis State University Law Review. He also is a graduate of Southern Methodist University.

In private practice since 1993, Brown has handled a wide variety of litigation, for individuals and businesses. In particular, he has worked with cases involving property – deeds, estates, sales contracts and real estate closings, boundary disputes and right-of-way litigation, among others.

Tom Sealy, the current Chief Deputy to the Register of Deeds, is retiring Feb. 28, capping a 39-year career in the office.